Badminton League: Hyderabad survive Bengaluru Top Guns fire

 

Despite Bengaluru winning the first game, Hyderabad came back to clinch their trump match to take a 2-1 lead. Later, Parupalli Kashyap defeated Sameer Verma in Bengaluru’s trump match to pile on more misery on the opponents as well as clinch the tie for the Hunters. 

 

A win in a trump match — which is decided by the teams gives two points for a win, while a loss is counted in the negative. Bengaluru drew first blood when China’s Suo Di breezed past Hyderabad’s Supanida K. to win 15-8, 15-11.

 

The women’s singles was followed by the men’s doubles match. And with Hyderabad trailing, they put their ‘trump match’ on the doubles pair of Carsten Mogensen and Markis Kido against Hoon Thien How-Khim Wah Lim.

 

Hyderabad clinched the tie in a nailbiting thriller to take a 2-1 lead. With a point behind, it was imperative for Verma to keep the Bengaluru franchisee in the hunt in their trump match against Kashyap.

 

Kashyap wrapped up the game in his favour to hand Hunters a 3-1 lead and the tie as Bengaluru were docked one point for the loss in their trump match. Bengaluru won their mixed doubles game as Ashwini Ponnapa and Jochaim Fischer thrashed Jwala Gutta and Markis Kido 15-13, 15-13 before K. Srikanth shocked former World No.1 Lee Chong Wei 15-12, 6-15, 15-7.

 

Riding on their Trump match win, Chennai Smashers rallied from a point down to clinch the tie 4-3 against Mumbai. Playing the trump match for Chennai, Simon Santoso registered a straight win 15-9, 15-12 win over Mumbai’s RMV Gurusai Dutt in the deciding men’s singles clash.  The Indonesian rallied to take the first game with ease. In the second game, Gurusai Dutt offered resistance but Santoso managed to hold frm and guide his team to victory.

 

Earlier, Chennai opened their league campaign with a win in the mixed-doubles category. Starting gingerly in the first game, Chennai’s pair of Chris Adcock and Pai Zebadiah lost their first game 10-15 to Rockets pair of Kamilla Juhl and Vladimir Ivanov.

 

In the second game the Chennai pair, backed by their fans, who travelled in numbers to support their favourite team, seemed to get their bearing right, as they romped to a 15-7 win in no time.

 

The Smashers carried the winning momentum into the final game. But despite the resistance, Chennai pair clinched the third tie 15-11 to give their team 1-0 lead. With his team trailing, the responsibility was on H.S Pranoy’s shoulders to put Mumbai back in contention. The 23-year-old did not disappoint as he overcame Brice Leverdez challenge to win the men’s singles tie 15-8, 15-11.